


i believe in you

by peachesandlesbians



Series: different ways to say i love you [3]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, No Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachesandlesbians/pseuds/peachesandlesbians
Summary: Emily is nervous. Andy helps calm her down.
Relationships: Emily Charlton/Andrea Sachs
Series: different ways to say i love you [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796488
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	i believe in you

> "Take a deep breath." / "I believe in you."

* * *

Andy hates awards shows. And making speeches. And faking smiles. Emily does, too. Yet, it’s ironic how they’re always invited to them. 

Every time Andy has to collect some award for being passionate or sharp, she has to follow her ten-step breathing exercise while Emily keeps adjusting her dress or touching up her makeup. Once in awhile, she’ll press a kiss to Andy’s cheek before going back to fussing over her. It’s rather endearing, actually. It distracts her from the pressure ahead of her, at least. Andy would much rather forego all the awards, anyway. As gratifying as it is to see all the acclaim for her, she doesn’t write for the awards. She writes for the people. 

For her part, Emily unapologetically loves the awards. (It’s all part of her master plan to conquer the world.) It’s simply the “show” part she hates. 

Emily hates making speeches more than Andy does, which came as a surprise to her until she looked at the crowd size—and oh, yeah, that was a crap ton of people. Totally understandable.

That was why Emily had a routine, just like Andy. Except it was a bit more … aggressive (which pretty much summed up their relationship). She would start calm, sitting in a chair, until she jumped up and rocked back and forth on her heels. Then came the snaps at the poor stage crew to _leave me the bloody hell alone_ or _piss off._ At about that time, Andy would have to step in before she spiraled into a state of madness. 

Just like tonight. 

“I’m freaking out, Andy,” Emily declares. Rather unnecessarily, Andy thinks. She’s been pacing for the last ten minutes and mussing her hair. By the time she has to go out on stage, she’ll probably have bitten off her lipstick. “This is worse than the time you left Miranda in Paris. I didn’t get any sleep for days!”

Andy tries to stifle a chuckle. “Sorry, Em. But if you could go through that, you can handle a little speech, right?”

“A ‘little’ speech?” Emily rounds on Andy, eyes wide in disbelief. “This is no little speech, Andy. Miranda, Donatella, and bloody Anna Wintour are out there!”

“Well, the fact that you’re on a first-name basis with them seems impressive enough.”

“It’s still not enough.” She groans. “This is all your fault.”

“My fault?” Andy raises an eyebrow. Not as well as Emily does, but still pretty dang well. “How so?”

“It’s all your fault for making me pursue my dreams and giving me so many peppy pep talks, of course! Honestly, you should have become a motivational speaker instead of a journalist. You could have been rich and famous by now.”

“So, you admit my pep talks worked?” She leans in, wagging her eyebrows. 

“Unfortunately.” Emily rolls her eyes but kisses the grin off Andy’s face. “Stop trying to distract me! It’s not going to work.”

“Alright, baby, come here. I’m not going to distract you.” Andy pats the seat next to her, inwardly chuckling at the disbelief on Emily’s face. 

Still, she does what Andy says. “Then what _are_ you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell you exactly how amazing you are, and why you’re going to shock everyone with said amazing-ness. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Emily scoffs, probably in an attempt to hide the blush that’s spreading on her cheeks. “Andy, come on. Quit it.”

“No, no. I’m serious.” And she is. She’s been working with Emily to improve her self-confidence and although it’s taken leaps from when they’ve first met, it’s difficult to change something she’s fiercely believed for such a long time. But they’re making it work. They always do. “Ready to listen?”

“I guess.” Emily shrugs and flares at the floor, a stray hair falling out of place. 

Andy smiles and tucks the strand back into place. “Okay. So first, can we agree that you’re going to win tonight?”

“I always do.”

“Exactly. And do you know why that’s so?”

She shrugs again, hunching up her shoulders. “Not really.”

“Because you’re insanely talented at your job. You’re the youngest Creative Art Director in years, and you’ve already had such an impact on _Runway_. Not to mention winning endorsements, praise, and respect from the biggest designers in fashion.” 

Emily can’t deny that. It had made waves when Donatella called her a “fresh young talent with unlimited potential.” But she still fidgets, unable to meet Andy’s eyes. 

But she doesn’t let that deter her. “You’re so successful because you’re so passionate about your job. You love it, so you throw yourself into it and chase perfection without stopping. You’re fiery and intense, and that comes from your incredible heart.”

Andy allows a smile at how Emily’s blush matches her hair. “Not to mention your intelligence. You have to know the difference between a crappy spread and a good one, and _why_ one sucks. You have to know the industry like the back of your hand, and you have to be on your guard at all times.”

“It’s honestly not that hard—”

Andy completely ignores her. “And that’s not all! You’re one of the best people I know. You act tough, but I know how you encourage your staff and care about them.”

“We’re a small team,” is Emily’s only response. 

“You’re the absolute sweetest to me, and you’re the most beautiful woman in the world! Imagine being that powerful! This doesn’t really relate to your job, but I’m rambling because I’m so in love—”

“Okay! Alright, jeez, I get it.” Emily presses her finger to Andy’s lips, effectively shushing her. Not only are her cheeks red, but her ears are too. “I don’t know what to say to all that.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Em. You just have to believe me. Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

Emily leans forward, and Andy presses their foreheads together, smiling tenderly. From her close position, she can smell the smoldering and smokiness of her perfume. “Take a deep breath,” Andy whispers. “It’s all going to be okay.” For emphasis, she rubs the back of Emily’s neck, delighting in the quiet sigh she lets out and how she falls into Andy’s arms.

They stay like that, quiet and calm, before a staff member comes scurrying up to them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Miss Charlton, you’re up soon.”

“Go get ‘em, Miss Charlton.” Andy steals a quick kiss before she folds her arms, grinning as Emily rolls her eyes and stands up.

“Yeah, yeah.” Emily adjusts her dress, but there’s still one thing Andy needs to say.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Andy calls out, watching as Emily turns with an eyebrow raised. “I believe in you.”

Emily is completely still for a moment before the corner of her mouth inches up. “I love you.” With that, she struts onstage, looking like the superstar she is. And, of course, that energy carries over to her speech, where she blows everyone out of the water. Just like Andy said. 


End file.
